One Little Lie Page 13

  “Good idea.” Reid directed Will to get some footage of the pelican. “So what are we waiting on?”

  “I called Carmencita Cook. She posted a Facebook message on Nicole’s page about her sins finding her out. I think she likely knows something.”

  “How does she know Nicole?”

  “She’s got her fingers in most everything that goes on in town. If anyone knows who Dawson’s bookie is, she will. And she might have some information about Nicole’s death.”

  Reid jerked his head toward the shore where a lone figure hurried their way. “That her?”

  Jane squinted. “It is.” She rose from the bench and waved.

  Carmencita Cook had been the head of the library board for ten years. In her fifties, her flashing dark eyes and curly dark hair made her appear younger. She never seemed to meet a stranger and was a frequent patron at the coffee shop, so Jane knew her fairly well. And her gentle demeanor hid the steely backbone everyone in town depended on.

  Jane stepped forward and smiled. “Thanks so much for agreeing to meet me.”

  Carmencita wore a red flowery dress that swirled around her brown calves. “It’s a terrible thing, Jane. Of course I want to help all I can, but I didn’t want to be overheard. I abhor gossip.”

  The statement sounded promising even though Jane knew the woman thrived on gossip. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t have posted that comment on Nicole’s Facebook page.

  Jane got out her little notebook. “Let’s talk first about Nicole. What can you tell me?”

  “It’s a small town. I often saw her with her friends out and about. She went barhopping most Friday nights up in Mobile, and I picked her up one night when her car broke down on her way home. I didn’t care much for her associates. Her brother was not a good influence on her.”

  Jane looked up. “Her brother?”

  “Marshall Thomas.”

  That name struck a chord with Jane. “He’s been arrested several times for dealing drugs. They don’t have the same last name.”

  Carmencita nodded. “Half siblings. His associates seemed even worse than him. Nicole often had someone sleeping on her sofa. She was a sweet girl but had no discernment. I suspect one of her brother’s associates killed her.”

  “But why the weird punishment? That doesn’t seem like something a drug dealer would do. They tend to take care of problems with a bullet,” Reid said.

  Carmencita pressed her full lips together, then shook her head. “I don’t trust her brother and his friends, but I could be wrong.” She hesitated. “She was seeing a married man. Maybe he killed her.”

  “Paul Baker?”

  “Oh good, you already know.”

  “Is that affair why you posted the comment on Facebook?”

  Carmencita’s face went pink. “I shouldn’t have said anything, but her morals were questionable. I think Detective Baker should be interrogated.”

  “Paul has an alibi for when she was killed.”

  Carmencita shrugged. “So perhaps it’s the vigilante in town.”

  It was looking more and more like the vigilante. “Anything else?”

  “No.” She glanced at her watch. “I must go soon. You want to hear about Gary?”

  “Yes, please.”

  “I knew him well. His wife is my cousin.”

  Whoa, Jane hadn’t been expecting that. “Small world. Did you know he gambled?”

  “I did.” Carmencita’s gaze cut to Reid and Will, and she frowned. “You are taping this?”

  “This is Reid Dixon. He’s doing a documentary about small-town police departments.” She shook her head at Will. “Turn off the camera, please.” She waited until Will complied. “About Gary’s gambling.”

  Carmencita’s frown eased. “He was in trouble. I saw him grow more and more stressed, and my sweet cousin too.” Her eyes narrowed, and she clenched her fists. “He hit her.”

  “I saw the bruise.”

  “Perhaps I shouldn’t say this, but I told him if he touched her again, I would kill him. And I meant it. Scum of the earth to strike the mother of his child in that way!” She muttered something in Spanish, and her dark eyes flashed.

  Jane believed her, but she also knew Carmencita hadn’t killed him. It would have taken a large man—or even more than one—to bludgeon someone Dawson’s size. “What did he say?”

  “He tried to borrow money from me. Me! The one person who knew he would never pay it back.”

  “Do you know who he owed? And how much?”

  The other woman’s frown returned. “I do. He lives in Mobile, so you’re unlikely to know him. He’s not someone to mess with, Jane.”

  “His name, please.”

  “Joseph Davies.”

  The name sounded vaguely familiar. “He’s got ties to organized crime?”

  “Of course. He’s got this area totally covered for some big boss in Atlanta. When Joe says jump, everyone asks how high. The rumors about him are bad—extortion, torture, murder. He’s evil clear to the bone. Ask your dad.”

  “Dad’s had run-ins with this Davies?”

  Carmencita looked confused. “I meant you should talk to your dad about Gary. Gary owed him money too.”

  Coldness snaked down Jane’s spine. “You’re saying my dad knew Gary well enough to loan him money?”

  “Honey, the two went fishing the last Sunday of every month. Surely you knew that.”

  Jane shook her head. “I only heard they were fishing buddies recently. I’ve never heard Dad mention Gary, and I never met him.”

  She didn’t go out to the house that much since she saw Dad every day at work. They talked about law enforcement, and she’d been happy to keep her head buried in the sand.

  Carmencita’s dark eyes went soft. “Your dad will be able to tell you more, but the two have been friends awhile.”

  “How do you know he owed my dad money?”

  “Gary wanted to pay your dad back first. That’s why he asked to borrow money from me. I hated to say no because it would benefit your father, but I had to.”

  Jane forced speech past her numb lips. “Of course you did.”

  She didn’t like the way this was looking for her father. Could Paul be right? She didn’t want to believe it. She thanked Carmencita before she headed back to the vehicle.

  “Now what?” Reid asked.

  She appreciated the way he didn’t look at her. “I’m going to examine Paul’s evidence before talking to my dad.”

  Nineteen

  Jane reined in her anger and pushed open Paul’s office without knocking only to find it empty. She went to his desk and glanced at his computer screen. The Dawson file was up, and she scanned through the evidence again, though she knew it well except for Paul’s focus on her father.

  There were pictures of her dad and Dawson aboard her dad’s boat. She scrolled through them and noted the various dates. Paul was right. They’d been friends awhile, and as she thought again about her relationship with her dad, she realized he’d never talked much about himself. If they mentioned anything personal, it was about what she was doing. On the rare occasions she tried to talk to him about his personal life, he changed the subject.

  There were pictures of her dad and Elizabeth out to dinner with Dawson and his wife as well. She recognized the backdrop of one of the restaurants in Mobile. There were also statements from a couple of fishermen who mentioned they’d overheard an argument about a loan between Dawson and her father that got heated.

  Was this what Elizabeth meant when she implied her dad had secrets? Jane glanced at Reid and Will, who stood in the doorway. “I don’t really know my dad at all. How is that possible?”

  “Some people wrap themselves in a steel wall that’s impossible to penetrate,” Reid said.

  Parker brushed past the guys and went to stand by the closet to the left of the desk. Jane started to call him back, but he whined and pawed at the doorknob, then looked back at her and barked. Frowning, she went to his side and opened the door.<
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  A small boy, his face streaked with dirt, stared up at her with pleading eyes. He whimpered but didn’t speak as she took an automatic step back.

  Reid must have seen her involuntary reaction, and he stepped across the room to her side, then knelt in front of the little boy. “Hello, buddy, what are you doing in there?”

  The child didn’t speak, but tears pooled in his big brown eyes. Jane recovered herself and knelt in front of him too. “What’s your name, honey?” She wanted to touch his soft brown hair, but she didn’t want to scare him.

  His lips trembled. “Harry.”

  “How old are you, Harry?”

  “Four. I’m four.”

  Jane wanted to scoop him up and hold him close. Poor little guy was terrified of something. “Where’s your mommy or daddy?”

  The tears left tracks in his face, and he swiped at them, smearing them through the dirt. “I don’t know. Mommy and I were in the park, and a man took her to his car. She told me to run and hide so I did.” His gaze darted to Will, and the pleading expression intensified.

  Will stepped closer and leaned down with his arms out. The little boy scuttled into Will’s embrace, and the older boy stood with Harry in his arms. The child put his head on Will’s shoulder and sighed as he relaxed against the teenager. Jane exchanged a long look with Reid. Maybe Harry had an older brother who cared for him.

  She touched his dirty hand. “When were you in the park, Harry?”

  His forehead wrinkled. “A long time. Before it got dark. I slept on a bench, but Mommy never came to get me.”

  Overnight then. Jane shuddered at what could have happened. She needed to call Child Protective Services, but she hated to turn this fearful little guy over to someone else. She caught the combative look in Reid’s eye. He was thinking the same thing. She had some discretion here as chief.

  She motioned for Reid to follow her to the other side of the office. “I don’t want to turn him over to CPS. He might be an eyewitness to a crime from what he’s saying. We don’t know what’s going on here, and he could be in danger.”

  “Let me and Will take him. Will is a kid magnet.”

  “We can’t haul a little guy like that around searching for answers.”

  “I’ll hire a nanny, and I’ll have Will stay with him.”

  “What about your video camera?”

  “I’ll hire a temp.”

  He had all the answers, but they were answers she’d hoped he’d come up with. “Okay. Let’s see if he remembers anything that might help us. I’ll check the missing persons database too. Someone has to be looking for him and his mother.”

  She started for the door, then stopped so quickly Reid almost ran into her. “Wait a minute. Yesterday we found an abandoned car with the door standing open. There was a booster seat in the backseat, and the situation seemed like it could have been an abduction. Maybe Harry was there.”

  “Did you get a gander at his clothes? He’s wearing Nike shoes and a Calvin Klein jogging suit.”

  “You know designer brands?”

  He shrugged. “Part of my job. I only mention it to say he’s well dressed. His mom is probably in serious danger if she hasn’t been frantically pounding on your door to find him.”

  “Good point.”

  They rejoined the two boys and Parker, but she couldn’t ask Harry any more questions because his dark lashes fanned out on his cheeks, and he hung limply against Will. “He’s asleep.”

  Will nodded. “Poor little guy is tuckered out, probably from being so scared. You’re not going to give him to CPS, are you?”

  “No, we’re taking him home with us if you’re game,” Reid said.

  The worry in Will’s face ebbed, and he smiled. “I’ll help take care of him.”

  “That’s what I told Jane.”

  She glanced toward the window. “We need to get out of here without being seen. Get your SUV and bring it to the side door. I’ve got a throw on the love seat in my office. We’ll toss it over him and scoot out the side door. It’s lunchtime, and we’re short-staffed. Hopefully no one will see us.”

  “What was he doing in that closet?” Will asked.

  “Good question. Maybe he can tell us more after he wakes up.”

  “What about a car seat?” Reid asked.

  She frowned. “I don’t have one.”

  “Anything in the evidence room or somewhere on the premises?”

  She shook her head. “Not to my knowledge.”

  “At least the house isn’t far. I’ll drive slowly.”

  She liked Reid’s take-charge attitude and the way he’d quickly wanted to help this little guy. He wasn’t just a pretty face.

  * * *

  He couldn’t believe his eyes. Chief Hardy and her nosy journalist had just hustled Harry out the back of city hall. If he hadn’t been driving by at that moment, he never would have seen her. He’d been looking all over for that kid.

  How had Harry escaped him and found his way here? Was someone helping him—someone who suspected what was going on? But no, he didn’t believe that. The kid had probably been told to go to the police for help and had managed to do it without detection.

  Sometimes the universe worked in weird ways, but he wasn’t going to let this stop him. He turned around to try to follow them, but they’d vanished. Maybe they’d gone to the journalist’s place. He drove as fast as he could out to where the journalist lived, then motored slowly past the driveway. He grimaced when he saw the SUV in the drive.

  He couldn’t snatch the kid with so many people there. Hardy would have her gun, and Reid seemed to be the type to carry a gun given all his exotic travel. Plus, there was his large son. It would be difficult to get in and out without being seen.

  He’d bide his time. At least he knew where the kid was. The right circumstances would show themselves, and he’d be ready.

  He rolled around a Kennedy half-dollar in his fingers. No one would understand the significance, and he liked knowing something they’d never figure out.

  Jane was beginning to be a problem. She was tenacious and way too smart. He’d enjoyed taunting her, but he might have to take her out of the picture. He didn’t want to do that until he’d extracted the full measure of his revenge, but he’d do whatever was necessary.

  * * *

  Harry slept on the leather sofa in the living room while Will stayed close in case the boy woke up frightened. Reid sat in his office with Jane while she logged on to her laptop and into the system at the office. He watched her intent expression as she looked for information about the lad. Parker slept at her feet.

  The sun shone through the window and turned her brown hair to a fierier color. She was a tiny thing, but her personality and drive were giant sized. He liked her more than he’d expected.

  She looked up and caught him staring. He fiddled with his mouse to cover his embarrassment. “Finding anything?”

  “No missing child’s been reported. No missing mother either. When he wakes up, we’ll see if he knows his last name or his address. That will give us a lot more to go on.”

  “What about the abandoned car? Any information on the owner?”

  “Not yet. Brian is trying to run down the rental agreement. I just shot him a text to tell him I might have found the occupant of the car’s booster seat.”

  She closed her laptop and stood, stretching out her back. “I need coffee. I’ll make it if you don’t mind me poking around in your kitchen.”

  “I’ll show you where the stuff is, and I’ll warm up some gumbo.”

  “Gumbo sounds good. I’m hungry, and the boy might want something.”

  He likely wouldn’t want gumbo. At that age all Will wanted was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but he had the ingredients for that in the kitchen. He showed her the coffee and filters, then put the soup in a pan and turned on a burner.

  The coffeepot began to gurgle, and Jane went to stand by the big windows that looked out on a tributary of the Bon Secour River. �
�Beautiful setting here. Gators I bet, though.”

  “We’ve seen a few, and I’ve warned Will to keep an eye out for copperheads and water moccasins too. I’m sure there are snakes around, though we haven’t seen any.”

  The scent of coffee mingled with that of the bubbling soup. He turned off the stove and transferred the soup to three bowls, then handed her one. “Spoons are in that drawer.” He pointed to the drawer under the coffeepot.

  She nodded, and he carried the other two bowls to the dining room table, a trestle design with cushioned seats. He motioned to Will, who eased off the sofa away from the sleeping child to join them.

  Jane ate a spoonful. “I see you’ve discovered Tin Top Restaurant. They make the best seafood gumbo around.”

  “Dad found them the first day we got here,” Will said. “What about Harry? How are we going to find his family?”

  Reid loved his son’s tender heart, but it would be best not to allow him to get too close to the boy. Once they found his parents, they’d be unlikely to see him again. “I’m sure Jane will find them soon.”

  Will bolted down his soup before going over to look at Harry again. “Why isn’t he waking up? He’s been asleep for two hours.”

  “He had a rough night,” Reid said. “Just let him rest for a little while. We don’t want to traumatize him more.”

  Will frowned. “I think I’ll go watch TV in my room. Call me when he wakes up. He’ll want me.” He glanced back at the sleeping child as the boy’s eyelids fluttered open.

  Harry sat up and yawned. “I’m thirsty.”

  Will whipped back around and picked him up. “Juice? We’ve got apple and orange juice.”

  “Apple juice.” Harry looped his left arm around Will’s neck.

  Reid turned for the kitchen. “I’ll get it.” While he was there, he made a PB and J sandwich and hurried back to the living room, where he found Harry on Will’s lap watching a cartoon on TV.

  Harry accepted the juice and sandwich. “Did you find my mommy?”

  “Not yet, little man.”

  Jane squatted in front of Harry and Will. “Do you know your last name, Harry? Or your address? It will help us find your mommy.”

  His large brown eyes were somber, and he nodded. “I’m Steven Harry Dawson, but Mommy calls me Harry after the prince. He’s way far across the sea.”